poorly puffer

lioness501

i noticed that 1 of my dwarf puffers has a sunken stomach. he has become very lifeless and just hangs out on the bottom of the tank. i neeted him and put him in a breeder to keep an eye on him. hje is not interested in food at all even snails. i even put a fry in there and he seems to weak to even try to eat. i dont know wat to do. i dont want to loose him. water params r good and the other 2 r just fine. he fed 2 days ago. could it b internal parasite? if so how do i treat as they r scaleless arent they? his eyes r still moving well but his body seems to have given up. i feed them 3 times a week with bloodworms, and live bloodworms wen i can get it(scarce round here) they also get snails as soon as i have some big enough. please help

Lupin

Sounds like a case of intestinal parasites. Is its poo whitish and stringy? Lack of appetite and sunken abdomen are obvious signs of intestinal parasite infestation. One tablet of Metronidazole(250mg) per 20 gallons is the dosage I often used in this case.

lioness501

do i treat the whole tank. i have no idea where to get metronidazole. i have never seen it poo!! but there nothin white n stringy hangin out of hm, like i noticed we another fish had internal parasites

Lupin

There is a chance others will be infested with parasites as well so yes, you'll need to treat the whole.:) I used Flagyl as pure Metro is hard to come by. Either way, Flagyl still works in my case.:) Your pharmacies should have those in stock.

lioness501

i just put in some frozen bloodworm and he went for it! thats a good sign right? didnt actually eat it but didnt ignore it like yesterday???

Lupin

Was it eating snails as well? You might want to try Metro here and hope that the puffer manages to eat. Metro stimulates the fish's appetite and rid of intestinal parasites.

lioness501

i get it from a human pharmacy right?
he hasnt eaten a snail today no, cos the ones i have r too small atm. im trying to breed the snails for permanent food! u have to remember im in the uk and havent seen some of the meds advised on ere

Lupin

Yes.
But, Lioness, it appears to me he probably hates bloodworms or lost appetite to them and without proper size snails, he was probably starving himself to death.
I just remembered about it but if I remember correctly, there are some UKers I talked with before that Flagyl is available in your pharmacies.

lioness501

really? he usually to eat them
there is no other live food readily available in my area so wat am i supposed to feed them? i did put a snail in with him last night but he ignored it? hes still alive gonna try some more food and a fry

Falina

I find that brine shrimp is readily available both frozen and live. I know you live at the opposite end of the UK, but it's always a suggstion.